Radiological Council Industrial Radiography Assistants – Syllabus

RADIOLOGICAL COUNCIL

RADIATION SAFETY ACT

RADIATION SAFETY (QUALIFICATIONS) REGULATIONS 1980

INDUSTRIAL RADIOGRAPHY ASSISTANTS

EXAMINATION SYLLABUS

Examinees for the Industrial Radiography Assistants Examination are expected to

know general principles of radiation safety matters as well as the requirements of the
Act and regulations relating to the possession, transportation, storage, disposal and
use of radioactive substances and to the use of equipment capable of producing
ionising radiation.

The examination comprises two sections:-

ƒ Core Paper – closed book, one hour multiple choice examination covering general
radiation safety; and
ƒ Main Paper – Open book, one hour multiple choice and short answer written paper
covering the safe use of industrial radiography equipment.

1. CORE PAPER

Legislation - Radiation Safety Act 1975

- Radiation Safety (General) Regulations 1983
Dose limits - radiation workers
- non radiation workers
Radiation types and properties
Background radiation
Quantities & units of measurement
Biological effects
Radiation risk
Basic radiation safety calculations
Inverse square law
Pro rata dose calculations
Personal radiation monitoring
Principles of protection

1.1 Types of radiation

ƒ Ionising radiation: radiation with sufficient energy to knock electrons out of

atoms, thereby having the potential to cause biological damage. Examples
include alpha and beta particles, neutrons, protons, cosmic rays, and
sufficiently energetic electromagnetic radiation such as x-rays and gamma
rays.
ƒ The electromagnetic (e-m) radiation spectrum (in increasing order of
energy): radio, microwave, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, x- and
gamma rays.
ƒ Ionisation threshold for electromagnetic radiation: e-m radiation that is less
energetic than ultraviolet light will not cause ionisation.

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1.2 Radiation dose

ƒ Absorbed dose: measures the amount of energy deposited by ionising

radiation in a given mass. SI unit: joules per kilogram (J/kg), also called
grays (Gy).
ƒ Effective dose: measures the biological detriment (i.e. damage) caused by
a given absorbed dose. It is calculated by multiplying the absorbed dose
by factors that account for the damaging power of the radiation and the
susceptibility of the organs that have been irradiated. SI unit: sieverts (Sv).
ƒ Natural background radiation dose: typically about 2000 µSv per year.
Sources of background radiation include naturally occurring radioactive
materials (some of which occur within the human body) and cosmic
radiation. Artificially produced radiation such as generated by an x-ray
machine or a nuclear reactor is not classified as background radiation.

1.3 Biological effects of ionising radiation

Ionising radiation can cause the following biological effects:

ƒ Cancer. The risk of developing cancer is considered to increase with
radiation dose, apparently without a threshold. That is, any dose, however
small, is assumed to carry an associated risk.
ƒ Genetic damage. The risk of genetic defects is considered to increase with
radiation dose, apparently without a threshold.
ƒ Cell damage. Living cells can be damaged by radiation, and will die if
overexposed.
ƒ Burns. Burns will occur when a threshold absorbed dose (about 3 Gy) is
exceeded.
ƒ Death. The lethal whole body effective dose is considered to be about 5
Sv. A majority of people who receive a dose of this magnitude over a
relatively short time span will die from cell damage caused by the radiation.
A corresponding absorbed dose delivered to only part of the body will
probably cause burns but will not necessarily be lethal.

1.4 Dose limits

A dose limit is the maximum amount of radiation (above natural background) that
a person is legally permitted to receive. The following dose limits were
recommended by the International Commission for Radiological Protection in
1990 and adopted as a legal requirement in Western Australia:
ƒ Radiation workers: 20 mSv per year, averaged over any 5 year period, with
a maximum of 50 mSv in any one year.
ƒ Members of the public: 1 mSv per year, averaged over any 5 year period,
with a maximum of 5 mSv in any one year.

1.5 Dose calculations

Multipliers

micro (µ): one millionth.

milli (m): one thousandth.

e.g. 10 Sv = 10,000 mSv = 10,000,000 µSv.

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Dose = dose rate x time

Note: Dose rate is dose received per time unit.

Ex. 1. What is the radiation dose received by a person exposed to a dose rate
of 2.5 µSv per hour for one working week? (Assume that a working week has 40
hours.)

Dose = 2.5 µSv/h x 40 h = 100 µSv (hours cancel out to leave µSv)

Ex. 2. What radiation dose is received by a person exposed to 100 µSv per
week for one working year? (Assume that a working year has 50 weeks.)

Dose = 100 µSv/week x 50 weeks = 5000 µSv (weeks cancel out to leave µSv)

Ex. 3. The Radiological Council has set a dose constraint of 2 mSv per year for
some radiation workers. What weekly dose corresponds to this constraint?
(Assume that a working year has 50 weeks.)

2 mSv = ? mSv/week x 50 weeks (What number multiplied by fifty equals two?)

? = 2/50 = 4/100 = 0.04 mSv/week = 40 µSv/week.

Inverse square law

The intensity of radiation from a point source1 decreases as the square of the
distance from the source. For example, the intensity of radiation 2 m from a point
source will be one quarter (½ x ½) of the intensity at 1 m, the intensity at 3 m will
be one ninth (⅓ x ⅓) of the intensity at 1 m, and so on.

The following mathematical formula may be used for inverse square law
calculations.

I (d ) = I (d ref ) × (d ref d ) 2

In words, the intensity of radiation at a distance of d metres is the intensity at a

reference distance of dref metres multiplied by a factor to account for distance.
This factor is the inverse of the square of the relative distances of d and dref from
the source. The reference distance is the distance at which the radiation
intensity is known.

The same formula can be used to calculate doses and dose rates.

E.g. The dose rate 1 m from a radiation source is 40 µSv/h. What is the
dose rate 2 m from the source?

In this case, the dose rate at one metre is known. Hence, dref is 1 m. The other
distance, d, is 2 m.

1
A radiation source can be considered to be a point if its maximum dimension is less than one
tenth of the distance under consideration. Therefore, for an x-ray tube with a focal spot of 2
mm diameter, the inverse square law will work for distances of more than 2 cm from the focus.

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Dose rate at 2 m = Dose rate at 1 m x (1 m / 2 m)2 = 40 µSv/h x (1/4) = 10 µSv/h

1.6 Radiation protection

Three principles are employed to protect an individual from radiation exposure:

ƒ Decrease time: decreasing exposure time results in a proportional dose
reduction;
ƒ Increase distance: increasing the distance between the radiation source
and the individual results in a dose reduction that can be calculated by the
inverse square law; and
ƒ Increase shielding: increasing the amount of shielding between the
radiation source and the individual results in a dose reduction that can be
calculated by considering the thickness of the shielding material.

It is worth memorising the phrase ‘time, distance, shielding’.

1.7 Radiation monitoring

The regulations and the Radiation Safety Act require designated radiation
workers to be monitored for radiation exposure. Monitoring is achieved by means
of personal dosimeters such as film badges, TLD badges, OSL badges, and
integrating dosimeters. Meters which measure dose rate (e.g. geiger counters)
are not personal dosimeters. A radiation worker’s employer is responsible for
maintaining a record of the radiation doses received by each person employed.
Personal dosimeters can be obtained by contacting a personal radiation
monitoring service provider. A list of such service providers is available from the
Radiological Council.

2. WRITTEN PAPER

2.1 Awareness of the Radiation Safety Regulations

Who is permitted to use radioactive substances / x-ray equipment.

Who must supervise assistants and the degree of supervision required.
Who could be prosecuted if assistants are not correctly supervised.
Who must wear a TLD, how they are used, and who must keep records.
Who must use an audible alarm and a survey meter.

2.2 Awareness of Transport Regulations

Who is allowed to transport radioactive substances.

Basic requirements for transport.

2.3 Awareness of NH&MRC Code of Practice

Working Rules and Emergency Procedures.

Radiation levels at boundaries.
Dose limits for workers/public.
Safety equipment required to be taken to a site.

2.4 Radiation Physics

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Exposure rate from an Ir-192 source.

ALARA Principle.
Understanding of ionising radiation, gamma and x-radiation.
Absorbed dose.
Quality factor.
Dose equivalent.
Effect of different radiation doses on the body.
Three principles of radiation protection.
Environmental radiation / natural background.
Units of measurement - SI units.
Half Life.

2.5 Calculations

Inverse Square Law.

Exposure/time/distance calculations.

EXCLUSION

This syllabus does not relate to the actual manipulation of radioactive sources such as
may be involved in loading of sources into source housings and the repair of defective
housings containing sources.

Once approved, an industrial radiography assistant must work under the direction and
immediate personal supervision of a licensed industrial radiographer, that is, the
licensee must be present for all radiographic exposures made by assistants. All
radiographic exposures must cease should the licensee be absent even if only
temporarily for reasons such as film processing, image quality review, etc.

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